Battle of Dien Bien Phu Vietnam and the Fall of French Indochina

This video presents the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the decisive battle that puts an end to the domination of French colonialism in Indochina and bringing real independence back to the region.

Chapter:
00:00 Introduction
00:49 Path to the First Indochina War
03:53 The First Indochina War
04:55 The Battle of Dien Bien Phu
07:47 The Fall of French Indochina

French Indochina was formed in 1887 as the result of French colonialism in Indochina, comprising Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. In 1930, as an attempt to gain self-rule over France, the Communist Party of Vietnam was founded in Hong Kong by Ho Chi Minh.

A few months later, the communists initiated a broad wave of peasant rebellions which were suppressed by the French in 1931 but the Party continued to extend its influence until the outbreak of World War II. In response to the Japanese occupation of French Indochina during the War, the League for the Independence of Vietnam, or known as the Viet Minh, was formed. In the following years, led by General Vo Nguyen Giap, Viet Minh launched several guerrilla operations against the Japanese, eventually controlling much of the border areas in northern Vietnam in the following years.

In March 1945, Japan dismantled French control and completely overran Indochina, resulting in the creation of Japanese puppet states. Following Japan’s surrender to the Allies in August, the Viet Minh units launched the August Revolution, and within two weeks, gained control of most parts throughout North, Central and South Vietnam, including Hanoi on August 19. On September 2, in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnamese independence from France, and formed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Determined to regain control over Indochina, the French, however, seized Cochinchina with the aid of the British and proclaimed it an “autonomous republic”. The tension escalated on November 23, 1946, when the French naval fleet bombarded the port city of Haiphong, marking the beginning of the First Indochina War.

In 1949, in an attempt to weaken the Viet Minh, France reunited Cochinchina with the rest of Vietnam, forming the State of Vietnam as an associated state within the French Union. However, the Viet Minh forces continued to launch successful guerrilla operations against French forces and seized control over most of the countryside by the end of 1953. While the French were rapidly losing their ground to the Viet Minh, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu broke out, decisively settling the fate of French Indochina.

The battle was divided into three phases and lasted till May 7th when an all-out attack against the remaining French units was launched. That afternoon, the Viet Minh forces captured de Castries, and a few minutes later, the reg flag waving on top of the enemy bunker marked the victorious end of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. French decisive defeat at Dien Bien Phu paved the way for the signing of the Geneva Agreement in July 1954, marking the fall of French Indochina.


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